Joshua Kaufman (kaufmajs@EMAIL.UC.EDU)
Fri, 3 Sep 1999 19:34:28 -0400
X-Sender: kaufmajs@email.uc.edu X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Pro Version 4.0.1 Message-ID: <199909032240.SAA07936@newman.bch.uc.edu> Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 19:34:28 -0400 From: Joshua Kaufman <kaufmajs@EMAIL.UC.EDU> Subject: Re: Compromise of StandardsAt 01:02 PM 9/3/99 -0700, you wrote: >First of all, I want to say that I have been busy this week so I couldn't >contribute to the thread. Also, I wanted to mention that I was pretty >upset that many of you just didn't get the point of the things I was >saying. But since so much time has elapsed, the raw emotion is gone and >thus, my writing won't be as hmm... passionate. Still, I wanted to bring >this up because I feel it needs to be said. > >I'm a purist. I didn't start out that way. I watched Ranma dubs like >most of you... then got sick of Sarah Strange's horrible acting. I >watched Tenchi dubs... then was horrified at Tenchi's annoying voice. >It's because of dubs that I am a purist. That being said, my purist views >can often be seen in my arguments. But in this case, it's not a driving >force- only an aspect in an entire equation. > >I'm still bitter at this nonchalant attitude that is prevalant among >Americans. > >"Who cares if they change the translation? If it's in English, then >that's all that matters. At least they brought it out." > >I think this attitude is a bunch of crap. I think it compromises >everything I believe as a gamer, heck as a person. So if I had bags of >money and decided to buy the rights to all Sakura Taisen games, make the >translation like writing a South Park script, cut out episode 5 because I >didn't like it that much, took out Iris cuz I hate her, sing all the songs >personally... despite the fact I'm a guy.... it'd all be ok, right? JUST >BECAUSE IT'S IN ENGLISH. Yes, you should all be thankful. Because I had >the wealth to buy the rights to it. > >Lemme say that I am not criticizing Working Designs. Vic does what HE >wants to do. I just wish he would stop saying he's for the gamers, as I >agree with ZFP and the like who think he's not. He's for himself. He >likes what he does, and you know what? In some ways I respect that about >him. I just wish he wouldn't cower behind certain false statements like >that(oh whoops, i guess I am criticizing WD now ^_^). But anyway, this >post isn't about WD. It's about game companies in general. It's about >America business in general. It's about the American attitude. But I >will focus on WD only because they choose games in which they need to do a >lot of dubbing. > >Let's take this outside of Sakura Taisen for a sec and look at similar >attitudes. > >"The dubbing of Lunar wasn't that great, but it's good for an English >'dub'. Not that good as 'acting', only 'dubbing' ". It's the same >attitude all over again. Never mind the fact that I wish for a well acted >game that was well-acted in the original. I'm going to now throw that >expecation away just because WD brought it out here at all? I'm going to >throw my expectations away just because "although it's not good, it's >better than most"? > >Is it really too much to expect a game which came out 3 years before(i'm >talking the saturn version, or 2 years for the mpeg which is pretty much >PSX version) to be equal, heck... BETTER than the original? > >But no, that's not how it works. The sheer fact that it has roman >characters supercedes any flaws a game has. It's not the game we're >after, it's the language it's in. > >Thus this brings me to what I'm trying to say. People are compromising >their standards. I am pretty darn sure all of you agree with me - you >want a game as close as possible to the original. But somehow, little by >little, people overlook flaws in US ports just because it's in English. >People don't care if entire meanings in dialog are changed. People don't >care that the mediocre acting is affecting how convincing the game is to >you. (Btw, I was nearly in tears playing the import Grandia. Somehow I >don't think Sony could do as good as a job, but we'll see). People don't >care about the game as much as they care about what language it's in. > >The ONLY difference between me and some of you is that I stand for what I >believe in. I have the originals right in front of me and I fully expect >a port which comes out later to be just as good. Heck, they *should* in >fact be better. But worse? I don't give into this "Well, they did >something good(ie put it in english) so that's all that matters" kind of >attitude. > >Or what about another game example? Some of you, i'm sure, have played >the Bishoujo Senshi Sailormoon SuperS game for the PSX/SS. It is >absolutely the worst 2d fighter I have played. (the super famicom >version is actually pretty good though). I tell others not to buy it. I >warn them. Tell them what's wrong with it. ANd you know what? Nine >times out of to ten, they buy it anyway. Why? "Because it's Sailor >Moon!". It's absolutely disgusting. I'm upset becaue I actually LIKE >Sailormoon. I think it's horrible that companies can buy licenses and >make crap games out of them. But you know what? They sell. They sell. >I tell others not to buy this game... because as fans we should show the >companies that they can't just produce crap. Buying crap only encourages >more crap-production. > >That's really the bottom line. I think as fans, you should care what >happens to a license when it gets picked up. I think as fans, you should >care what you buy. > >The moment you start compromising is when the company has got you. You >buy their stuff. They keep doing what they're doing with no regard to how >you may dislike what they're doing. But sales figures don't lie. We'll >keep getting our Sailormoon SuperS's as long as we keep asking for them. >If the fans don't care, then tell me... who will? > >-Terrence > >btw, i'm very interested in feedback. This is a topic I am very >passionate about. Am I the only one who feels this way? Sometimes it >seems so. if you want to private email too, that's fine as I'm sure Paul >will be much happier. But i wanted to say this and I'm glad I did. There's a big difference though between Sailor Moon SS (which I agree it one the biggest pieces of crap ever) and a decent English translation. Some of us like to have things in our own language. And it seems you can't understand that not all of us are proficient enough in Japanese to want to toil through a game in Japanese that IS READILY AVAILABLE in English. If the Japanese game is really that different enough, I would probably get the Japa version too (provided I liked it enough(, but so far it's only come up once (Dracula X2). You mention Grandia -- I was ready to get Grandia, expect there were tons of rumors about it coming on PSX, then to the US. Well, it happened. I'm totally hyped. If the game tuns out to be good enough -- I'll find the Saturn version (and perhaps Digital Museum too). I might do it for FF4 (SFam) eventually too, but it's incredibly unlikely I'd find that at a reasonable price (with battery intact to boot). Anyways, there are also some things some people like that others don't. You may not like WD's treatment of Rayearth and Lunar, but besides the dubbing (which I agree is merely 'good for a dub'), I think they jokes ect (at least in those two games) they add do nothing but ADD to the games. That's MY OPINION of course, and I *DON'T* think they are crap in any way. And the dubbing is the thing that MOST people have complained about anyways, so perhaps we'll see that get better. -Joshua AOL-IM: TerraEpon ICQ: 5404138